The great physicist Albert Einstein once said, “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move to higher levels.” He understood the importance of exploiting novelties to create something beneficial for mankind. No one demonstrates this way of thinking better than Einstein because he had the boldness to explore fields of science that few have ever approached in order to make the world a better place. Today, human society faces the detrimental consequence of global warming due to pollution from fossil fuel combustion; the world once again needs to discover never-before-seen alternatives. These alternatives may be risky in certain ways, but for mankind to prosper and continue to survive, these risks are necessary. One alternative to fossil fuel is nuclear energy, a recent innovation that is still fairly uncommon in producing power. Clearly, nuclear energy should play a greater role in powering the world because it possesses environmental, viable, and political incentives. Nuclear energy has significant environmental advantages over conventional energy sources. One prime example is the comparison of the effects of fossil fuel versus nuclear energy on global warming. When examining pollution, an important factor is a power plant’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Using nuclear power could significantly slow global warming because it produces much less CO2 than fossil fuel. For example, a 1,250 megawatt coal-fired power plant releases 11.8 million tons of CO2 per year; a nuclear power plant of similar magnitude releases merely 0.5 million tons (McLeish 37). This means nuclear energy produces less than 5% the emission as coal energy! However, people may doubt the impact of global warming. Signs of global warming inc... ... middle of paper ... ...e solution to end dependence on foreign oil and to maintain a stable source of energy. Overall, the environmental, practical, and political benefits all make nuclear energy the ideal source to power the world. No matter what critics say or believe, the advantages of nuclear energy far outweigh any disadvantages. Despite the fact that people probably wish to immediately increase nuclear power plants, achieving the ultimate goal to combat pollution or foreign leverage will require time. Fortunately, by choosing nuclear energy, the American public will have taken a step toward the future to create more innovative features that will benefit everyone. As the world continues to advance, people will need to take risks that can lead to better lives. Whether the positive results are immediate or not, taking risks will definitely pave the way for improvement and success.
Central Idea: Nuclear energy only contributes a small amount to the world’s electricity yet it has hazards and dangers that far out-way its benefits. There are many other alternative power producing sources that can produce energy more efficiently and more safely than nuclear power plants can.
After the United States developed the atomic at the end of World War II, interest in nuclear technology increased exponentially. People soon realized that nuclear technology could be used for electricity, as another alternative to fossil fuels. Today, nuclear power has its place in the world, but there is still a lot of controversy over the use of nuclear energy. Things such as the containment of radiation and few nuclear power plant accidents have given nuclear power a bad image. However, nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because it has no carbon emissions, energy is available at any time, little fuel is needed for a lot of energy, and as time goes on, it is becoming safer and safer.
The production of nuclear energy is not as safe and clean as some say that it is. The Oxford Research Group released a report providing evidence that supports this point. It is clear that nuclear power plants do not produce a lot of carbon dioxide when they operate, but it is the mining of uranium and the storing of waste that produces the carbon dioxide pollution. This way of producing power is not as friendly to the environment as once thought. The report states that over time more carbon dioxide will be produced because more equipment and energy will be needed to extract uranium ore and store the waste. It is estimated by 2070 uranium nuclear power would produce as much carbon dioxide as a gas fired power station. If the use of nuclear power continues to increase this number would increase as well having a significant impact on global warming and the environment (Herbst).
The world is facing an energy crisis and many are unaware of this growing problem. Sustainability is avoiding depletion of our natural resources in order to provide for future generations, and the only way to ensure that resources are available into the future is to find alternative sources to meet the world’s energy needs. Nuclear energy is just one source of alternative energy being implemented today in an effort to support the needs of the population and mitigate global climate change. Nuclear energy holds the necessary benefits in order to continue being used globally as an alternative solution.
Nuclear energy is a tricky topic. At first thought, the word nuclear tends to throw some for a loop, flashing images of deadly “nukes” and atom bombs in their heads. However, nuclear energy can offer a wide array of benefits that can realistically solve the growing energy crisis our planet will soon face, not to mention the many rewards that nuclear research can lead to. As fossil fuels slowly get burned away, where will we turn to next? Yes, there are several renewable sources of energy that can help, but none that are a clean everyday-everywhere solution. Unfortunately, nuclear power is not without its own issues, as no source of energy is perfect. Nuclear energy can be wildly beneficial, both as an energy source and research port, but at what cost?
Nuclear power is a growing source of energy to most of the world for many benefits. People doubt the significant of nuclear power because of one accident. Due to this accident, the world has only seen the flaws in nuclear power and not the many benefits it has to offer. Nuclear power would benefit worldwide if people would let go of the past and look towards the future. Nuclear power is a better alternative energy because of its economic and environmental benefits.
There are plenty of things that might kill us nowadays. Among these are epidemics, wars, and maybe even the sun eventually swallowing up the planet. More prominently, we will be heavily damaged by carbon emissions from fossil fuels resulting in global warming.Obviously we need to solve this problem by moving to clean energy. The United States, along with many other countries around the world, are looking at nuclear energy as the possible solution. But, despite many advancements and benefits, the usage of nuclear energy still has the power and chance to devastate civilizations around the world, and may not even solve the prevailing issue of carbon emissions.
Today’s world faces many problems. Hunger, war and pollution are some common problems that come to mind. Nuclear energy however, should not have to be one of these problems. Nuclear energy has been around since the early 1950s. Over the years, many have debated whether nuclear-produced energy is any better than other energies such as coal-produced energy. While both sides have their pros and cons, nuclear energy, is the overall worst out of the all the energies being produced.
“Every dollar spent on nuclear energy is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place, because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand” (Jacobson). Most countries today are becoming more and more dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy because of its high energy output and the availability of uranium used for fuelling nuclear reactors that generate power to provide electricity in households. Although using nuclear power as a source of energy has benefits like this, the danger posed by using nuclear power is too ominous.
Thesis: Nuclear power is a powerful and dangerous source of energy, but it depends on how people choice to use it.
The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
For almost one hundred years, nuclear energy has powered the world with little to no consequences. These consequences though, can be monumental. Nuclear energy is the costliest power system to start up, and due to its strict safety procedures, it is very expensive to keep reactors in safe operating condition. (Buzz) This potential danger has been the death of millions of people over the century, with the single most deadly being the Chernobyl incident of 1986. Nuclear energy may have its good side, but with its high cost, potential for catastrophe, and its impractical waste, it is not good for any type of consistent energy production.
Nuclear power is a huge topic and definitely a two sided coin. On one side we have an opportunity of durable sustainable energy. It’s got a lot of risk, but also high reward. With proper waste management, nuclear energy has very low greenhouse gas emissions and relatively low operating costs. Nuclear Energy could be the future as illustrated by the image below, made in 2010 (Nuclear Power and Nuclear Weapons Worldwide).
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.
Stieglitz, Richard, and Rick Docksai. "Why the World May Turn to Nuclear Power: Demand for Fossil Fuels May Decline, but Demand for Electric Power Will Soar. Nuclear Power, Resisted by Many, May Provide a Long-term Solution, and It Has Come a Long Way since Three Mile Island and Chernobyl." The Futurist 1 Nov. 2009: 1+. Print.